perchance to dream
by chidorinnn
Summary: "I am not Madara, though for a long, long time, I pretended to be." Obito, Izuna, Shisui: three different timelines, three different men behind swirling orange masks. Because every villain is a hero in his own eyes. AU.
1. Chapter 1

_Because a lot of the fans' theories about Tobi's true identity were a lot better thought out than the revelation itself._

* * *

My name is Obito Uchiha. I am not Madara, though for a long, long time, I pretended to be.

_My name is Izuna Uchiha. I am not Madara, though for a long, long time, I pretended to be._

** My name is Shisui Uchiha. I am not Madara, though for a long, long time, I pretended to be.**

I shouldn't have lived after I gave my eye to my best friend. If I had died then, I wouldn't have had to see him again, with his hand halfway through the chest of the girl I love. I wouldn't have had to see her crying as the light left her eyes, stolen away by someone who promised he would never turn his back on her.

_I should not have lived after the younger Senju bested me in battle. If I had died then, I would not have had to see my brother, my beloved older brother, exiled by his own clan, by his own village. I would not have had to see the incorrigible Senju, pretending to be far mightier and vastly superior than they really were as they rewrote history to turn him into a blemish that stains the reputation of their perfect village._

**I shouldn't have lived after I jumped into the ravine. If I had died then, I wouldn't have had to see my best friend manipulated into becoming a criminal, a murderer, for the sake of the village he loved so much. I wouldn't have had to see his brother left alone and ignored as if he had died with the rest of his clan, with too much pain and anger and despair for any one man, let alone a seven-year-old boy, to bear.**

It wasn't so bad, working under the real Madara Uchiha himself. He can actually be pretty nice, despite what the stories say. He saved my life and took better care of me than my own family ever did. He told me such amazing stories of the village's early days, of his more-than-best-friend, his more-than-brother. But no matter what, he never let me forget the pain I felt the day she was killed. With his urging, my pain became my weapon.

_For almost a whole century, I waited. I studied, even when I only had one eye with which to do so. I trained, even though my body was old and frail. Always, endlessly preparing. I kept my wits and my reflexes sharp because there would surely come one day when I would need them. And the final nail in the coffin – I adopted my brother's name, because he is not a monster like the myths depict him. He is not the villain history paints him to be. He is history itself, and if he is unable to make that known to the world, then I will do so in his stead. _

**"Everything's going to be fine," I once said to my best friend – but everything wasn't fine, and it was my fault for being unable to fix the situation. So I had to save them both. I had to save my best friend from the life of an S-ranked criminal that belonged to everyone but him, and I had to save his brother from a life of pain and misery. They were the only two people I had left who mattered, after all.**

I've already tried to avenge her in the little ways I can. I made Kirigakure, one of the guilty parties, feel my wrath. I crippled them by taking away their bloodline abilities. I made the two worthless pieces of trash that are my sensei and my so-called best friend suffer. It's their fault for hurting her – not mine for giving them what they deserve. But it's not enough – that's why the Infinite Tsukuyomi is perfect.

_Amongst the generations only slightly below mine, my brother's name inspires shock and fear, as expected. But the younger generations respond only with confusion. Were my brother's efforts worth that little? Was he so insignificant that our descendants cannot be bothered to even remember him, let alone honor his legacy? My brother's legacy extended far greater than any of them know – that is why the Infinite Tsukuyomi is perfect. _

**My goal is the same. Though my hands are covered in blood, it's all to bring peace to the world. My best friend has died, and his brother is now my responsibility. A world of peace and happiness will serve him better than that damned village ever did. But it's impossible to create a world where everyone else can be happy along with him – unless the world itself were to reflect everyone's deepest hopes and desires. That's why the Infinite Tsukuyomi is perfect.**

It will make the pain go away.

_All generations will experience my brother's greatest discovery first-hand._

**Everyone will be happy.**

So I fight.

_So I fight._

**So I fight.**

Because I can't live in a world without Rin.

_Because Madara deserves justice._

**Because I need to make it up to Itachi and Sasuke.**


	2. Chapter 2

My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I'm part of Team Seven, and we're finally facing off against the man behind the mask.

_My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I'm part of Team Seven, and we're finally facing off against the man behind the mask._

**My name is Sakura Haruno. I'm part of Team Seven, and we're finally facing off against the man behind the mask.**

It's the guy Kakashi-sensei always visits at the memorial stone. Kakashi-sensei said he was nice, kind of like me. I don't know why, but the guy in front of me isn't anything like that.

_It's Madara Uchiha's beloved younger brother who was slain in battle decades ago. When I'd first met him, after my fight with Itachi, he was a formidable presence that demanded respect. I don't know why, but the old man before me now is completely different._

**It's Sasuke-kun's cousin, Itachi-san's best friend, who supposedly committed suicide before the massacre. I'd always heard he was a kind, gentle young man who only wanted what was best for the world. I don't know why, but the man I see is like a completely different person.**

He's going on and on and on about how Kakashi-sensei let some Rin girl die. Yeah, okay, I get it – Kakashi-sensei screwed up a long time ago. Maybe he really did let this Rin person die. But he's not trash! This bastard doesn't know what he's talking about!

_His brain's addled – maybe Sakura can put it in more clinical terms, but this is the only explanation I can think of for his madness. Maybe the real Madara was just as insane as everyone else says, but this man is on an entirely different level, going on and on about how proud Madara would be of him right now._

**Is this really the same ninja everyone speaks so highly of? The man before me is hardly kind, but he's polite – civil, even. He says it's all to bring peace and happiness to the world, to make things up to Sasuke-kun… It doesn't make any sense! How do you expect to bring peace by starting a war?**

Kakashi-sensei said that his teammate wanted to be Hokage once, a long time ago. But this guy's hurting now… a lot – maybe more than Nagato was. But that still doesn't make what he did okay! He might've been hurting, but he still hurt so many people. He killed my mom, forced my dad to sacrifice himself, killed Sasuke's entire clan… There's no way I can reason with him! But just punishing him won't fix everything.

_He is like me, in a sense, and it goes beyond the fact that we share the same face. He truly does love his brother and wants to do right by him. The world vindicated his brother, and so he wants to make the world suffer, pull the wool from everyone's eyes so that they can see just how much Madara sacrificed to give them what they now take for granted. After all, there was a time that I wanted to do the same in regards to Itachi – but if Madara is anything like how the First Hokage described, he wouldn't want this. This constant bloodshed needs to stop. But just punishing this man won't fix everything. _

**I can kind of see where he's coming from, actually… I guess the desire to protect someone really does bring out the best and worst in us. But that's still no reason to start a war, to hurt so many people. And really, all he did was hurt Itachi-san and Sasuke-kun more, even if that's the opposite of what he wanted. What happened to the Uchiha Clan was awful, and the ones responsible will pay for what they did – but he needs to pay for his mistakes too, because he made the whole world suffer. But just punishing them won't fix everything.**

So I will become Hokage.

_So I will become Hokage._

**So I will become Hokage.**

For Obito, to fulfill his dreams for him.

_For Izuna, to honor his beloved brother's legacy._

**For Shisui-san, to protect the people he loved so much.**


End file.
